Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1: “The Playboy Second Elder Still Plays Pure Love”

At the Spirit Sword Sect’s disciple-selection ceremony, elders and disciples watch two candidates spar. A mysterious voice suddenly warns that the sect will one day be besieged by the Nine Great Sects and criticizes the candidates’ lack of talent. Believing the voice to be a hostile sound transmission, the sect’s powerful figures search for its source.
The voice belongs to Li Zi, an eight-year-old transmigrator who knows the sect’s future from the novel she entered. Unaware that everyone can hear her thoughts, she admires the handsome First Elder—and laughs to herself after her system reveals that his natal sword leaves rainbow trails when he flies. Li Zi imagines this as the sword “farting rainbows.”
The elders hear the joke, recognize that the voice somehow knows the First Elder’s private weapon, and turn to stare at him. Embarrassed, he orders them to keep searching. The Second Elder quietly teases him about hiding his rainbow-producing sword, prompting the First Elder to snap at him.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zi is introduced as a cheerful, irreverent child whose private thoughts expose both her foreknowledge and her lack of restraint.
• The First Elder, initially imposing and admired, is flustered when his dignified image is punctured by Li Zi’s gossip.
• The Second Elder shows a teasing, playful side by mocking his senior brother.
• The elders and disciples shift from alarm at the prediction of disaster to bewilderment as the voice reveals embarrassing personal details.

Significant themes

• Fate and foreknowledge: Li Zi’s knowledge hints that the sect faces a disastrous future.
• The gap between public image and private reality: The First Elder’s grand reputation clashes comically with the mundane secret of his sword.
• Comedy through unintended exposure: Li Zi’s inner monologue becomes public, disrupting the sect’s solemn ceremony.

Key plot points and events

• The sect’s elders and disciples hear an unknown girl and a mechanical “system” talking in their minds. They briefly panic, then realize the girl is testing a mind-reading ability and poses no immediate threat.
• Li Zi explains to her system that she has transmigrated into a shallow romance-heavy cultivation novel. She is destined to be a jealous side character whose awakened Myriad Flower Divine Bone is stolen for the heroine, Ran Zirou, before Li Zi is abandoned to die.
• The system admits it may have activated the wrong version of the mind-reading cheat. The cultivators infer that those at Golden Core Stage or higher can hear Li Zi’s thoughts.
• Li Zi considers leaving the sect with the system to seek gossip in the mortal imperial palace. The system prefers staying, hoping they can use their knowledge of the plot to save the sect.
• Li Zi warns that Ran Zirou’s influence makes everyone revolve around her and fears becoming cannon fodder. Her comments offend the elders, especially Second Elder, who insists he would never behave as she describes.
• The system hints at gossip about Second Elder and identifies him by his flashy red belt. The crowd turns its attention to him, leaving him visibly shaken.

Character developments

• Li Zi is anxious and self-preserving, aware of her grim fate and eager to escape it. Her sharp, cynical view of the novel’s romance conventions is revealed.
• The system is inexperienced and error-prone, but encourages Li Zi to use their advance knowledge to change events.
• Second Elder shifts from indignation to embarrassment when the system suggests he has a secret worth gossiping about.
• The sect’s elders and sect master move from alarm to curiosity, then become uncomfortable when Li Zi’s thoughts accuse them of romantic obsession.

Significant themes

• Fate versus agency: Li Zi knows the role assigned to her but may be able to reject or alter it.
• Satire of romance and cultivation tropes: The novel’s characters are portrayed as irrationally devoted to the heroine.
• Gossip and privacy: Li Zi’s unfiltered thoughts are audible to powerful cultivators, exposing secrets and unsettling the sect.
• Power and vulnerability: Despite the sect’s formidable inhabitants, Li Zi sees herself as disposable and at risk.

Character interactions

• Li Zi and the system bicker over the faulty mind-reading ability and debate whether to flee or try to change the story.
• The cultivators silently listen to their conversation, interpret the system’s clues, and resume the tournament once they determine there is no danger.
• Second Elder publicly condemns Li Zi’s claims, only to become the focus of suspicion when the system singles him out.

Key plot points

• During the sect’s sparring assessments, a frightened young contestant drops his sword and is eliminated.
• Li Zi’s system reveals the Second Elder’s romantic past: after a woman once forced herself on him, he spent years longing for her. He believed Immortal Ziyang was that woman and treasured the red sash she gave him as a love token.
• The system exposes the truth: Ziyang had lied to him for her own purposes, then left him for a stronger cultivator. The Second Elder rejects the sash, though he remains unsure whether to trust the revelation.
• Ran Zirou, Ziyang’s ten-year-old daughter, enters the competition. Her resemblance to her mother stirs the Second Elder’s feelings, but also brings his newly shaken suspicions back to mind.
• Ran wins her match by kicking her opponent off the platform. An inner disciple praises her, but Li Zi points out that Ran is only at the first level of Qi Refining and that her stronger opponent was clearly holding back.

Character developments and interactions

• Second Elder: His self-image as a romantic rogue gives way to the revelation that he is a gullible, devoted man. He is shaken by the possibility that Ziyang deceived him, but tries to resist accepting the system’s account without proof. The First Elder comforts him, while the other cultivators listen eagerly to the gossip.
• Li Zi: Her irreverent inner commentary punctures the elders’ solemnity, ridicules the Second Elder’s naïveté, and exposes the insincerity behind Ran’s match and praise.
• Ran Zirou: She presents herself as graceful and charming, but her flashy technique and weak cultivation contrast with the praise she receives. Her resemblance to Ziyang provokes a strong reaction from the Second Elder.
• The opponent and praising disciple: Ran’s opponent appears to lose without a real contest, while the inner disciple’s exaggerated praise earns him disapproving looks after Li Zi calls out the mismatch.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus truth: The red sash symbolizes a romance that was never genuine, while Ran’s polished display masks her limited ability.
• Gossip and uncertainty: The system reveals private truths, but the Second Elder struggles to distinguish reliable information from possible manipulation.
• Favoritism and hypocrisy: Ran receives applause and praise despite an unconvincing performance, exposing the sect’s compromised judgment.

Plot and key events

• Fu Chaoqing explains that he is distantly related to Ran Zirou and was asked by his family to look after her. The Second Elder suspects he may know more about her parentage, but Fu insists he learned only recently.
• Li Zi’s System reveals a grim supposed future: Fu Chaoqing will spend his vitality refining a Heaven-Grade Pill for Ran Zirou, only for her to later bring several men to his grave. The revelation alarms Fu and prompts the Fifth Elder to warn him not to let his feelings distract him.
• Ran Zirou, disappointed that none of the elders chose her as a Direct Disciple, calls Li Zi forward and presents herself as Li Zi’s kind friend, inviting her to compete for entry into the Inner Sect.
• Li Zi publicly exposes the condescension behind Ran Zirou’s gesture, pretending to be devastated that Ran brought a girl who cannot cultivate into the contest just to look generous. Other female disciples sympathize and defend Li Zi.
• Ran Zirou cries and tries to regain the crowd’s sympathy. Her male admirers take her side, but Li Zi points out that Ran’s Mixed Spiritual Root is inferior to the roots of the girls defending her. The exchange inflames the crowd, and Li Zi quietly slips away.

Character developments and interactions

• Fu Chaoqing is unsettled by the System’s prediction that he will sacrifice himself for Ran Zirou. Though he admits she seems charming, he rejects the idea that he is in love with her.
• Ran Zirou tries to use Li Zi as a foil to reinforce her image as gracious and kind. When Li Zi turns the performance against her, Ran’s tears fail to conceal her resentment over her weak Spiritual Root.
• Li Zi uses calculated, theatrical crying to expose Ran’s manipulation, then feels genuinely moved when other girls defend her. She remains wary of the costs of joining the Sect.
• The girls rally around Li Zi, while Ran’s male admirers protect Ran, turning the encounter into a gendered clash over who deserves sympathy and respect.

Significant themes

• Performative kindness and manipulation: Ran’s apparent generosity is a bid to elevate herself; Li Zi counters it by making the hidden condescension visible.
• Social bias and appearance: Ran benefits from her beauty and male attention, while her cultivation weakness becomes a source of public criticism.
• Solidarity and belonging: The girls’ defense of Li Zi briefly gives her a sense that the world can be kind.
• Self-interest and foreknowledge: The System’s predictions shape characters’ suspicions and warn of the danger of devotion without reciprocity.

Key events

• Li Zi and the system discuss how to avoid Ran Zirou and consider switching to a palace-intrigue storyline, since Li Zi cannot afford the medicine she will eventually need to awaken her Myriad Flower Divine Bone.
• During the sect’s disciple selection, Li Zi and the system gossip about Ran Zirou’s future: she is expected to seduce Ji Zheng, whose Extreme Yang Physique and sword talent could otherwise lead him to great cultivation success.
• The Fifth Elder unexpectedly selects Li Zi as his Direct Disciple, interrupting Ran Zirou’s assumption that she would be chosen.
• Ran Zirou challenges the decision, insulting Li Zi’s Mixed Spiritual Root. The Fifth Elder calls Li Zi “a jewel buried in dust” and uses his authority to force Ran Zirou to her knees, where she spits blood.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zi remains practical and wary, preferring to avoid Ran Zirou rather than get entangled in her schemes. She is startled to be chosen and worries that the unexpected appointment has derailed her plans.
• The system supplies information about the original plot and reinforces Li Zi’s belief that Ran Zirou is dangerous.
• The Fifth Elder shows keen interest in Li Zi despite her apparent lack of talent, while firmly defending his judgment against Ran Zirou’s challenge.
• Ji Zheng accepts his master’s warning to protect his cultivation path and sets aside his interest in Ran Zirou.
• Ran Zirou shifts from feigned concern and confidence to jealousy and resentment when Li Zi is chosen instead of her. Her challenge provokes the Fifth Elder’s forceful rebuke.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus hidden potential: Li Zi seems unremarkable, yet the Fifth Elder recognizes value others cannot see.
• Fate and agency: Knowledge of the original plot may help Li Zi avert its outcomes, but events already begin diverging from expectations.
• Manipulation and ambition: Ran Zirou’s sweet public persona conceals her designs on Ji Zheng and her desire for status.
• Power and authority: The Fifth Elder’s intervention makes clear that rank can silence challenges, while his choice reshapes the disciples’ expectations.

Plot points and events

• The Fifth Elder, Lin Shixian, claims Li Zi as his disciple after recognizing her rare Myriad Flower Divine Bone, which had gone unnoticed by everyone else.
• He sends his senior disciples Ji Zheng and Fu Chaoqing to take Li Zi back to their peak. As Ji Zheng carries her away on a flying sword, Li Zi’s inner monologue continues to reveal private information to nearby cultivators.
• Li Zi’s system recounts Lin Shixian’s scandalous past: once a crown prince, he secretly maintained relationships with both his wife and a fox demon. After the affair was exposed and the demon cursed him, he lost his royal status but gained the chance to cultivate.
• The elders realize Li Zi’s thoughts can only be heard when she is nearby. They agree to keep this ability—and what they have learned—secret from her.
• The sect leaders prepare to discuss the Nine Great Sects’ assault and how to prioritize Li Zi’s cultivation.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zi is bewildered by being chosen but quickly accepts her new position, masking her curiosity with an obedient, timid manner. Her candid judgments of Lin Shixian inadvertently expose his past.
• Lin Shixian recognizes Li Zi’s potential and takes responsibility for her. His composed, aloof image is undermined by the revelation of his past, leaving him embarrassed and speechless.
• Ji Zheng warmly introduces himself as Li Zi’s eldest senior brother and helps her onto his sword.
• The other elders shift from curiosity to amusement and sympathy toward Lin Shixian, while deciding to protect their secret knowledge of Li Zi’s thoughts.

Significant themes

• Public image versus private history: Lin Shixian’s dignified appearance contrasts with his messy past.
• Secrets and involuntary exposure: Li Zi’s unspoken thoughts reveal information she never intends others to hear.
• Reputation and redemption: Lin Shixian’s past disgrace ultimately leads him to cultivation and a more disciplined life.
• Humor amid danger: The sect faces a serious threat, but gossip and embarrassment provide comic relief.

Key plot points and events

• Li Zi and Ji Zheng fly to the Fifth Elder’s remote, mist-shrouded peak. Ji Zheng explains that the Sect’s formations protect its mountain range and keep different groups’ residences separate.
• While Li Zi worries about needing a bathroom, her system shares a ridiculous story: before becoming Sect Master, the Sect Master ate soybeans during a visit to the Mortal World, then accidentally inspired an “Immortal Aura Cult” when villagers mistook his smelly farts for evidence of immortality. He later secretly erased their memories, violating Sect rules.
• Ji Zheng and Fu Chaoqing overhear the story through Li Zi’s thoughts. Both struggle not to laugh; Fu Chaoqing leaves to tell other disciples, while Ji Zheng sets Li Zi down and slips away.
• Left alone at her barren Cave Abode, Li Zi wonders whether she has taken the place in the story originally meant for Ran Zirou. The system confirms the main plot is still underway: Ran Zirou has become an Inner Sect menial disciple and is already receiving gifts of Medicinal Pills and spirit herbs from male disciples.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zi maintains a sweet, harmless outward manner, while her irreverent inner thoughts reveal her humor and frustration.
• Ji Zheng becomes increasingly attached to the Sect as Li Zi’s thoughts give him a more human, amusing view of its usually stern leaders.
• Fu Chaoqing is equally entertained by the gossip and eagerly spreads it.
• Li Zi feels neglected: despite being a Direct Disciple, she has no guide, no instruction in cultivation, and barely any support. She compares this treatment unfavorably with the attention Ran Zirou receives.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus inner reality: Li Zi’s innocent demeanor contrasts with her candid, mischievous thoughts; the Sect’s stern authorities also have embarrassing secrets.
• The power of gossip and shared laughter: The Sect Master’s absurd story brings Ji Zheng and Fu Chaoqing closer to the Sect and its people.
• Fate and changing storylines: Li Zi may have displaced Ran Zirou’s original role, but the heroine’s plot continues independently.
• Unequal attention and status: Li Zi’s high-ranking position has not brought the guidance or care she expected, while Ran Zirou quickly attracts support.

Key plot points and events

• Li Zi discovers her cave has no route down the mountain, leaving Sword Flight as her only way to travel. Worried about her lack of cultivation and the original body’s tragic fate, she asks the system for techniques, but she lacks the points to obtain any.
• Ji Zheng visits the next morning and asks why she missed the new-disciple celebration, having forgotten she cannot yet use Sword Flight. Li Zi’s sarcastic thoughts contrast with her tearful, helpless act; Ji Zheng apologizes by giving her a star-shaped spatial pendant from a Secret Realm.
• Ji Zheng takes Li Zi to the Main Peak. Disciples mock her for having no spiritual energy and assume she has useless talent. Ji Zheng does not intervene, believing respect in the sect must be earned through ability.
• Li Zi focuses on reaching body tempering and marrow cleansing. The system says ordinary Marrow-Washing Pills will not work for her and hints at good news involving spiritual springs.
• Ran Zirou publicly defends Li Zi, prompting another disciple to suggest Li Zi used improper means to become the Fifth Elder’s direct disciple.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zi is anxious about her vulnerability and the original body’s fate, but uses tears and charm to turn Ji Zheng’s mistake into a gift. She remains largely unfazed by the disciples’ insults, though she dislikes Ran Zirou’s conspicuous defense.
• Ji Zheng shows concern and generosity, giving Li Zi a valuable pendant and escorting her to the Main Peak. He initially mistakes her silence for composure, then realizes she simply did not hear the insults.
• Ran Zirou steps in to defend Li Zi, while others interpret her kindness as evidence that Li Zi may have gained her position unfairly.

Significant themes

• Strength and vulnerability: The sect’s harsh hierarchy reflects Li Zi’s fear that weakness will leave her exposed to the fate of the original body.
• Appearance versus inner thoughts: Li Zi’s sweet, tearful behavior and quiet exterior contrast with her sharp internal commentary.
• Prejudice and reputation: Disciples judge Li Zi by her lack of visible cultivation, while her relationship with Ran Zirou risks drawing further suspicion.

Plot points and events

• Sect disciples question why Li Zi was chosen as an elder’s direct disciple despite her weak cultivation aptitude. Ran Zirou appears to defend her, but grabs Li Zi’s hand and reacts angrily to the pendant around her neck.
• Li Zi plays the part of a frightened, humble child, saying she will work hard and asking the disciples not to judge her prematurely. Her sincerity turns the crowd against Ran Zirou and prompts some to apologize.
• Ran accuses Li Zi of stealing the pendant. Li Zi says Senior Brother Ji Zheng gave it to her, and asks why Ran is making the accusation after defending her.
• Ji Zheng confirms that he found the pendant in a secret realm and steps in to protect Li Zi. This undermines Ran’s claim and makes the disciples suspicious of her motives.
• The system reveals that Ran Zirou has been reborn. Li Zi learns Ran’s previous rise to power came largely through exploiting romantic attachments; the system suggests Ran’s recent head injury may explain her poor judgment.

Character developments

• Li Zi uses a fragile, earnest persona to win sympathy and counter Ran’s influence. Though anxious about the reborn heroine’s foreknowledge, she recognizes an opportunity to turn the crowd to her side.
• Ran Zirou shows hostility when she sees Li Zi wearing the pendant, despite presenting herself as compassionate. Her emotional appeals and accusations increasingly expose her jealousy and hypocrisy.
• Ji Zheng defends Li Zi by clarifying where the pendant came from, though Ran’s charm briefly affects his judgment.
• The disciples quickly reconsider their treatment of Li Zi and Ran, revealing how readily they are swayed by displays of vulnerability.

Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Li Zi’s performed innocence and Ran’s apparent kindness both shape how others judge them.
• Power and merit: The disciples debate whether talent, strength, or character should determine status.
• Manipulation and social influence: Li Zi and Ran compete for the crowd’s sympathy, while Ran’s charm also affects Ji Zheng.
• Rebirth and foreknowledge: Ran’s return with knowledge of the future raises the stakes for Li Zi.

Character interactions

• Li Zi’s meek responses contrast with Ran’s sharp accusations, shifting the disciples’ sympathy toward Li Zi.
• Ji Zheng’s defense of Li Zi challenges Ran’s authority and intensifies her emotional reaction.
• Ran’s tears and seductive manner tug at Ji Zheng’s compassion, even as he has just supported Li Zi.

Key plot points and events

• Li Zi and her system reveal that Ran Zirou intends to seduce Ji Zheng and use a secret art to absorb his rare Pure Yang Physique.
• Ji Zheng overhears them. When Ran Zirou clings to him and asks him to request that the Fifth Elder take her as a disciple, Li Zi’s blunt inner commentary makes him reconsider.
• The Fifth Elder summons Ji Zheng and Li Zi before anything happens. He, too, has heard Li Zi’s thoughts and is alarmed at the risk to Ji Zheng’s physique.
• Left outside, Ran Zirou reveals her ambition: reborn after a disastrous previous life, she plans to grow stronger, defeat the Heavenly Dao, obtain Ji Zheng’s physique, and take Li Zi’s Myriad Flower Divine Bone.
• The Fifth Elder explains that poison is concealing Li Zi’s Divine Bone. Since the Sect lacks Marrow-Washing Pills, he gives her basic medicinal pills, cultivation instructions, and body-tempering techniques to use in the meantime.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Zheng begins to waver under Ran Zirou’s charms, but Li Zi’s thoughts repeatedly warn him. He protects Li Zi publicly and pulls away from Ran Zirou when the Fifth Elder calls.
• Li Zi remains unaware that her thoughts are being heard. She jokes about the danger to Ji Zheng, then follows him into the hall.
• Ran Zirou is revealed as calculating and ruthlessly ambitious, treating people as tools and concealing her intentions behind an earlier show of vulnerability.
• The Fifth Elder acts protectively toward both disciples, especially by intervening to preserve Ji Zheng’s Pure Yang Physique and beginning to support Li Zi’s cultivation.

Significant themes

• Second chances and changed fate: Ran Zirou’s rebirth gives her knowledge of the future, but events are already diverging from her expectations.
• Hidden motives and overheard thoughts: Li Zi’s private commentary influences Ji Zheng and the Fifth Elder, even though she does not know they can hear it.
• Power and exploitation: Ran Zirou views Ji Zheng and Li Zi chiefly as sources of cultivation power.
• Temptation versus self-control: Ji Zheng’s attraction conflicts with the danger of surrendering his rare constitution.

Key plot points and events

• The Fifth Elder promises Li Zi that he’ll take her to a Secret Realm and seek a Marrow-Washing Pill for her from the Medicine King Sect Master. Li Zi is grateful to have such a caring, powerful master.
• The System reveals that the Fifth Elder’s estranged wife—a Nine-Tailed Fox Demon—has just given birth. She and her newborn daughter are being hunted, and the child is fated to be killed for her Demon Core.
• Li Zi resolves to warn her master, but the Fifth Elder suddenly disappears before she can speak. The System then reports that he is heading to Star-Pattern Mountain to rescue them.
• At the mountain, the wounded Fox Demon is surrounded by greedy Cultivators. She protects her baby and prepares to sacrifice herself rather than let them take the child.
• The Fifth Elder arrives just in time, pulls his wife to safety, and kills the attackers with a single sword strike.

Character developments

• Li Zi shows compassion and courage: despite worrying that she’ll sound strange, she decides she must try to save the Fox Demon and her child.
• The Fifth Elder proves more caring and decisive than Li Zi expects. His immediate departure suggests he still feels deeply for his wife.
• The Fox Demon is portrayed as a fiercely devoted mother, willing to destroy herself to protect her newborn.
• Ji Zheng helps Li Zi stay focused on cultivation while the rescue unfolds.

Significant themes

• Parental love and sacrifice: The Fox Demon risks everything for her daughter.
• Compassion versus exploitation: The Cultivators see the Fox Demon as a source of wealth, while she sees only her child’s safety.
• Hidden loyalties and second chances: The Fifth Elder’s rescue hints that his bond with his wife has endured despite their separation.
• Gratitude and responsibility: Li Zi’s appreciation for her master leads her to act when another life is at risk.

Character interactions

• The Fifth Elder promises to help Li Zi obtain a rare pill, strengthening her trust in him.
• Li Zi wants to alert the Fifth Elder but loses the chance before he vanishes.
• The Fox Demon comforts and protects her baby, urging her not to trust humans.
• The Fifth Elder reunites with his wife in the midst of danger, declaring her protection and unleashing his power against her attackers.

Key plot points and events

• The Fifth Elder saves his badly injured wife, who goes into secluded cultivation. Li Zi hears that he’ll return with a Little Fox and is relieved.
• Li Zi’s repeated attempts to cultivate fail. Ji Zheng and Fu Chaoqing take her to the Sect Master, as Fu Chaoqing finds her meridians completely blocked and cannot explain where the spirit medicine she takes goes.
• The elders discuss how to awaken Li Zi’s unknown Myriad Flower Divine Bone. They plan to consult other sects and seek water from a Marrow-Washing Spirit Pool in the upcoming Secret Realm.
• Li Zi’s inner thoughts reveal that the Second Elder went to the Hehuan Sect, found Immortal Ziyang with her Dao Companion, and beat him. After Ziyang summoned allies, the Second Elder fought back and damaged two mountains.
• The Hehuan Sect comes to demand compensation. The Sect Master rallies the sect to confront them, while Li Zi eagerly anticipates the ensuing drama.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zi remains unable to cultivate, but feels supported by her sect’s elders—unlike the mistreated version of herself in the original story. Her curiosity and delight in gossip shape the scene.
• Ji Zheng and Fu Chaoqing secretly hear Li Zi’s thoughts. When she suspects the Fifth Elder may have heard hers, they improvise an explanation so she won’t discover their secret.
• The elders and Sect Master treat Li Zi’s condition as a collective responsibility and mobilize resources to help her.
• The Second Elder is shown acting fiercely on behalf of Immortal Ziyang, though his intervention sparks a conflict between the sects.

Significant themes

• Found family and support: Li Zi contrasts her current protection with the abuse she suffered in the original story.
• Hidden thoughts and secrecy: The elders’ ability to hear Li Zi’s thoughts creates both tension and comic misunderstandings.
• Gossip and escalating conflict: Private romantic entanglements become public sect disputes, blending comedy with impending confrontation.

Key plot points

• The First Elder initially orders Li Zi, Ji Zheng, and Fu Chaoqing to leave, worried that Li Zi’s audible thoughts might expose Hehuan Sect secrets. After hearing that the gossip concerns the Hehuan Sect Master’s bond with his son, he allows them to stay—hoping Li Zi’s revelations may unsettle the rival sect.
• The chapter explains the feud between the sects: the Hehuan Sect’s former leader’s son stole the second half of the Spirit Sword Sect’s Primordial Sage Secret Art. He later became the Hehuan Sect’s first male Sect Master after his mother adapted the stolen art into a powerful cultivation method. The theft remains a major grievance.
• The Hehuan Sect arrives in force. Its Second Elder, badly beaten, accuses Immortal Ziyang of deceiving him for centuries: she claimed they were effectively married, then sent him away, while secretly becoming another man’s Dao Companion.
• Ziyang responds with contempt, mocking the Second Elder’s looks and chances of advancing. The Spirit Sword Sect’s Sect Master rebukes her and demands that the Hehuan Sect answer for her deception.
• Li Zi privately thinks Ziyang acts like a “fishwife.” Everyone above Golden Core hears her thoughts. Ziyang senses an insult but cannot identify its source. The system then begins revealing the reasons behind her behavior.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zi remains an inadvertent source of gossip and tension; her thoughts can be heard by powerful cultivators, creating both risk and opportunity.
• The Spirit Sword Sect’s Sect Master uses the dispute to defend the Second Elder while also welcoming any advantage Li Zi’s revelations might provide.
• The Second Elder is devastated and enraged by Ziyang’s betrayal, publicly recounting the deception and revealing that he had remained chaste for her.
• Immortal Ziyang appears aggressive and scornful, but the system’s account complicates this image: her combative manner began as self-protection in a violent childhood. It also reveals that her Dao Companion may not genuinely care for her.
• The Second Elder’s confrontation with Ziyang, and the Sect Master’s challenge to Hehuan Sect Master Chen, turn a private romantic betrayal into an inter-sect dispute.

Significant themes

• Gossip as power: Li Zi’s involuntary thoughts may expose secrets and influence relations between sects.
• Betrayal and grievance: Ziyang’s deception fuels the Second Elder’s heartbreak and intensifies the longstanding conflict over the stolen cultivation art.
• Appearances versus causes: Ziyang’s harsh behavior masks a survival response shaped by childhood abuse, while her current relationship may be less loving than it appears.
• Pride and rivalry: Both sects defend their standing as personal accusations and historical disputes collide.

• The Second Elder and Immortal Ziyang make peace: After hearing Li Zi’s thoughts and the system’s explanation of Ziyang’s past, the Spirit Sword Sect members grow sympathetic. Ziyang admits nothing aloud, but the account of her insecurity and gradual reliance on her own strength clearly affects her. The Second Elder asks her to apologize and agrees to let their personal dispute go. The sects still argue over compensation for the Hehuan Sect’s attack on him.
• Ziyang learns her companion may be unfaithful: Li Zi asks the system about Ziyang’s Dao Companion, a Hehuan Sect disciple who is attracted to both men and women and apparently spent the previous night with a male disciple. Ziyang grips his hand and quietly threatens him; he denies knowing anything, and she lets the matter drop for now.
• The Hehuan Sect Master’s secret comes out: Li Zi prompts the system to reveal that the Sect Master has a son in the Mortal World. The son grew up believing his father was an immortal and, as a wealthy adult, built a themed attraction filled with statues of his father—including one depicted as a mermaid. Everyone present hears the revelation and struggles not to laugh, while the Sect Master realizes he has become the room’s focus.
  Character developments and interactions: Ziyang’s history softens the Spirit Sword Sect’s view of her, while her companion’s possible betrayal adds new tension between them. The Sect Masters continue bargaining, but the unexpected gossip derails their negotiations. The Hehuan Sect Master becomes wary as people react to information he never shared.
  Themes: The chapter contrasts seeking security through romantic partners with building it through personal strength. It also explores secrets and betrayal, while using public embarrassment and unspoken gossip for comic effect.

Plot points and events

• The Hehuan Sect Master, Chen Cangheng, reflects on the son he left in the Mortal World after visiting him once as a child, then neglecting him for more than a decade.
• The Spirit Sword Sect Master, Jiang, presses Chen about Li Zi’s claim that he has a son. Chen conceals his reaction and offers compensation for an earlier dispute: two fifth-grade medicinal pills.
• Jiang argues that the damage to his Second Elder cannot be settled so cheaply, while the gathered sect leaders eagerly try to uncover whether Chen really has a child.
• Li Zi’s private thoughts mistakenly speculate that both sect leaders may have been cheated on. The system reveals instead that they were once close fellow disciples and were both nearly assaulted by the same Heart-Cutting Poison-Thread Spider.
• The system explains that they have repeatedly saved each other—Chen saved Jiang four times, and Jiang saved Chen more than ten—despite their sects’ long-standing hostility.
• Jiang, angered by Li Zi’s description of their bond as a “love-hate relationship,” raises his demand to three mid-grade Marrow-Cleansing spirit herbs and two fifth-grade pills, then orders Chen to leave.
• Chen, shaken by learning that Jiang may have secretly protected him, asks to speak privately. Jiang refuses, accuses him of past wrongdoing and theft, and threatens to kill him if he returns.

Character developments and interactions

• Chen Cangheng is forced to confront both his forgotten son and the possibility that his former senior brother cared for him more than he realized. He remains troubled by their unresolved past, including the stolen fragment of the Primordial Sage Secret Art, which he says he could not return.
• Jiang, despite a history of rescuing Chen, presents himself as bitter and unforgiving. His anger is tied not only to their personal dispute but also to the loss of his Master, which he blames on Chen’s betrayal.
• Li Zi’s unfiltered inner commentary unintentionally exposes hidden history and intensifies the tension.
• Their conversation shifts from bargaining over compensation to a painful confrontation about old loyalty, betrayal, and resentment.

Significant themes

• Misunderstood loyalty: Their shared history of saving one another is obscured by years of hostility.
• Unresolved betrayal and grief: The stolen secret-art fragment and the Master’s death continue to define their relationship.
• Neglected responsibility: Chen’s recollection of his son highlights the personal costs of devoting himself entirely to cultivation.
• Gossip and unintended truth: Li Zi’s private thoughts reveal secrets that the characters would rather keep hidden.

Key plot points and events

• The Hehuan Sect Master leaves gifts at the Spirit Sword Sect, but Sect Master Jiang angrily orders him out. The elders recall that the Hehuan Sect Master once drugged their former master, helping cause his death.
• Li Zi asks the system whether the Hehuan Sect will attack the Spirit Sword Sect in the future. The system says it will not: the future assault is driven mainly by Ran Zirou’s feuding lovers, not the Hehuan Sect.
• The system reveals that the Hehuan Sect Master stole the Primordial Sage Secret Art because its second half was false and would cause qi deviation. His actions may have saved the Spirit Sword Sect’s ancestors; he later dies at the hands of one of Ran Zirou’s men.
• The elders, shaken by this revelation, leave to discuss matters with the sect master and decide Ran Zirou should not remain in the sect.
• Warned that Ran Zirou plans to sneak into Ji Zheng’s room, Ji Zheng chooses to stay in Fu Chaoqing’s courtyard. Li Zi joins them for her usual medicine and sword practice.
• Meanwhile, the elders and sect master clash physically, destroying two more mountaintops before separating on bad terms.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zi learns the hidden history behind the Spirit Sword and Hehuan Sects, and reflects that people cannot be judged solely by appearances. Her system-informed comments also shape the elders’ understanding of events.
• The Hehuan Sect Master appears less villainous than the elders believed: despite past harm and an abrasive manner, he acted partly to protect the sect and remained attached to it.
• The elders move from certainty and hatred toward confusion and regret, while still seeking to protect their sect from Ran Zirou.
• Ji Zheng and Fu Chaoqing both take the warning about Ran Zirou seriously. Concerned about Ji Zheng’s rare extreme-yang physique, they decide to keep him away from her; Li Zi is brought along to help test medicine.
• Ji Zheng continues teaching Li Zi basic sword techniques, though she is still too weak to perform them well.

Significant themes

• Appearances versus reality: Long-standing enemies may have acted from more complicated motives than others knew.
• Hidden causes and incomplete histories: The book’s focus on Ran Zirou’s romances obscures the sects’ past and the real reasons behind future events.
• Consequences of romantic conflict: The system identifies Ran Zirou’s lovers’ disputes—not sect politics—as the main cause of the Spirit Sword Sect’s future attack.
• Humor amid danger: The characters respond to serious revelations and romantic threats with tense, sometimes absurd confrontations—especially the elders’ mountaintop-destroying brawl.

Plot points

• Li Zi worries that the reborn heroine, Ran Zirou, may target her. Li Zi has not undergone marrow cleansing and cannot cultivate, while Ran is already at the second Qi-refining stage.
• Ji Zheng and Fu Chaoqing discuss whether Ran poses a threat. Ji plans to remove her from the sect, but Fu volunteers instead, concerned Ji might lose control and damage his cultivation.
• Fu goes to Ji’s courtyard for medicine and finds Ran waiting there, dressed and prepared to charm Ji. She is unexpectedly captivated by Fu’s appearance.
• Fu tells Ran that her mother, Immortal Ziyang, is at the sect, and offers to take Ran to the Hehuan Sect to meet her.
• Ran recalls that in her previous life she despised and eventually killed her mother, then destroyed the Hehuan Sect. She is unsettled to learn that the sect’s senior brothers had concealed her mother’s presence from her.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Zi is anxious about her vulnerability but remains curious, treating the situation as potential “drama” and asking the system to monitor it.
• Ji Zheng considers forcibly removing Ran but defers to Fu, mindful of the risk to his cultivation.
• Fu Chaoqing takes a measured approach: rather than provoke conflict, he tries to send Ran away.
• Ran Zirou appears sweet and harmless but holds deep contempt for her mother and carries memories of her previous life. Her carefully planned attempt to attract Ji is derailed when she meets Fu.
• Fu and Ran’s exchange shifts from formal kinship—Ran calls him “Uncle Fu”—to his practical proposal that she reunite with her mother.

Significant themes

• Rebirth and foreknowledge: Ran’s past-life memories shape her behavior, while the others try to prevent future disasters.
• Appearance versus character: Ran’s delicate, innocent presentation contrasts with her ruthless past and prejudices.
• Family and identity: Ran’s idealized image of her mother clashes with the reality she remembers, complicating her sense of self.
• Conflict avoidance: Fu chooses removal over violence to avoid worsening tensions between the sects.

Key plot points and events

• Fu Chaoqing tells Ran Zirou that Immortal Ziyang has visited the sect and may be her mother, since they look alike. He proposes sending Ran back to her.
• Ran panics and denies the connection, insisting she is a princess from the Mortal World. She begs Fu to let her remain in the sect, though her thoughts reveal she despises Immortal Ziyang’s humble origins.
• Through the system, Li Zi learns that Ran has long resented her supposedly “lowly” birth and poor talent. In her previous life, she coveted Li Zi’s Divine Bone and Ji Zheng’s Pure Yang spiritual energy.
• Li Zi defends Immortal Ziyang, admiring how she rose from hardship to become a powerful cultivator. The system notes that Immortal Ziyang treated Ran well and would likely support her cultivation, but Ran wants power without earning it.
• As news of Ran’s possible parentage spreads, Ji Zheng sends a message and learns that disciples have gathered. He takes Li Zi to see the confrontation. The chapter ends with Ran kneeling before Fu Chaoqing as onlookers gather.

Character developments

• Ran Zirou: Her composure breaks when her carefully managed identity is threatened. Her denial and pleas to stay expose her fear of losing her place in the sect and her contempt for her mother’s background.
• Li Zi: She shows empathy and moral clarity by defending Immortal Ziyang, while remaining wary of Ran’s designs on her Divine Bone.
• Ji Zheng: He recognizes Ran’s greed more clearly and becomes protective of Li Zi, though he is also eager to witness the unfolding drama.
• Fu Chaoqing: He briefly feels tenderness toward Ran, but suspicion—prompted by Li Zi’s thoughts—overrides it.

Significant themes

• Merit versus entitlement: Immortal Ziyang’s rise through hardship contrasts with Ran’s desire for power without cultivation.
• Identity and status: Ran values her princess identity and rejects a mother whose origins threaten her pride.
• Protection and exploitation: Li Zi’s Divine Bone and Ji Zheng’s Pure Yang physique are treated by Ran as resources to claim, rather than parts of people.
• Reputation and public scrutiny: Once the sect learns of Ran’s possible parentage, her private denial becomes a public spectacle.

Character interactions

• Ran pleads with Fu Chaoqing to let her stay; he questions why she rejects the possibility of having a powerful Immortal mother.
• Li Zi and Ji Zheng silently discuss Ran’s motives through their reactions to the system’s account, with Ji Zheng agreeing with Li Zi’s judgment.
• Ji Zheng summons help and brings Li Zi to the gathering, anticipating that Immortal Ziyang may soon take Ran away.

Key plot points and events

• Fu Chaoqing urges Ran Zirou to leave the sect and acknowledge Immortal Ziyang as her mother, pointing out their resemblance. Several disciples agree and pressure Ran to accept the possibility.
• Ran rejects the idea with contempt, insisting she is a mortal princess and insulting Immortal Ziyang’s reputation.
• Immortal Ziyang has just arrived and hears the insult. Though deeply hurt, she explains that she left Ran in the Mortal World because the child had a Mixed Spiritual Root and she hoped she would live a safe, cherished life.
• The Second Elder condemns Ran’s words, while Li Zi’s angry inner thoughts defend Ziyang and praise her perseverance. Ziyang hears Li Zi, realizes she is the one whose thoughts she had heard before, and feels comforted by her admiration.
• The gathered disciples recoil from Ran after her outburst. Fu Chaoqing, too, responds with visible disapproval. Ran realizes she may have misjudged the room, but remains convinced she spoke honestly.

Character developments and interactions

• Ran Zirou reveals her disdain for Immortal Ziyang and clings to her royal identity, even as the crowd’s reaction unsettles her.
• Immortal Ziyang is wounded by her daughter’s rejection but remains composed; Li Zi’s sincere praise lifts her spirits.
• Li Zi openly admires Ziyang’s achievements and sees her as an inspiring role model, forging a silent but meaningful connection with her.
• Fu Chaoqing initially encourages Ran to acknowledge Ziyang, then distances himself after hearing Ran’s insult.
• The Second Elder supports Ziyang and sharply rebukes Ran.

Significant themes

• Prejudice and reputation: Ran reduces Ziyang to gossip about her private life, while others honor her for her accomplishments.
• Motherhood and sacrifice: Ziyang’s decision to leave Ran was motivated by hope for her daughter’s happiness, but that history is unknown to Ran.
• Effort and perseverance: Ziyang’s rise from a Mortal without spiritual gifts to a renowned cultivator makes her an example of achievement through determination.
• Judgment and social consequences: Ran’s words expose her values and quickly change how those around her see her.

• Key events: Immortal Ziyang arrives and denies that Ran Zirou is her daughter, saying the girl may only resemble her. Hearing Li Zi’s thoughts confirms that Li Zi is the person who unknowingly exposed a deadly conspiracy against her. Ziyang takes a liking to Li Zi and offers to adopt her, but when reminded that the Fifth Elder has already accepted Li Zi as his disciple, she gives her a Heaven-and-Earth Artifact sachet instead. It contains medicines and cultivation resources originally gathered for a girl with a Mixed Spiritual Root—Ran Zirou.
• Conflict and reversal: The gift makes clear that Ziyang once cared deeply for Ran Zirou, but Ran’s earlier insult has damaged that bond. Realizing the resources could help her, Ran kneels, claims others taught her to believe her birth mother was a prostitute, and begs forgiveness. Her performance wins sympathy from the crowd and softens Ziyang. Li Zi tactfully suggests Ziyang was only provoking Ran, giving her an excuse to relent; Ziyang then reaches to help Ran up.
• Character developments: Ziyang is grateful to Li Zi for revealing the danger around her and feels an immediate affection for her, yet her compassion for her biological daughter remains strong despite Ran’s cruelty. Ran shows how quickly she can shift from contempt to tearful pleading when she needs something. Li Zi is excited by the unexpected gift but also feels sorry for Ziyang and recognizes that Ran and Ziyang’s lover may exploit her.
• Themes and interactions: The scene contrasts sincerity with manipulation: Li Zi’s candid inner thoughts help Ziyang, while Ran uses a carefully staged apology to regain favor. It also explores the pull of family loyalty, the power of public reputation and gossip, and how gifts can represent both affection and leverage. Ziyang and Li Zi form a tentative bond; Ran tries to reclaim Ziyang as “Mother,” while the onlookers debate whether Ran deserves sympathy.